Rister Army Spotlight: Sohee Kang ’27

Sohee Kang ’27 is a Master of Agribusiness (MAB) student at Texas A&M University, where she has worked this past 2024-2025 academic year as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Dr. Ed Rister’s Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program. Her path to agriculture came through a mix of international education, professional work in venture capital, and a growing interest in food systems and resource management.

Early Life and Education

Sohee was born and raised in Incheon, South Korea, a major commercial port city. Her early environment exposed her to the dynamics of international trade and the global economy. That exposure shaped her academic interests and led her to pursue a degree in International Economics and Law at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. As part of her undergraduate studies, she spent two years in India, including time at Delhi University and an internship with a Korean firm operating there. She sought out the experience specifically to learn how economics functioned in lower-income and developing countries.

After graduation, Sohee moved to Austin, Texas, for a professional internship. There, she worked at Notley, a startup focused on funding philanthropic and nonprofit ventures. The experience introduced her to the world of venture capital. Through this experience, she saw how capitalism, often criticized for its exploitative nature, could also be used as a force for good.

Professional Shifts and a New Direction

Inspired, Sohee returned to South Korea with a vision to adapt U.S. entrepreneurial ideas for Korean markets. She joined a startup accelerator focused on education technology. She worked on evaluating early-stage startups, supporting marketing strategies, and helping secure government grants and investment funding. During this time, a series of global natural disasters, such as wildfires and tsunamis, caused major disruptions to global supply chains. In South Korea, the ripple effects were felt through sharp increases in the cost of living, especially in food and basic resources. Her family was affected directly when her grandparents sold land to adjust to these rising costs.

The situation prompted Sohee to rethink the direction of her work. While she valued the role of education, she found it difficult to measure its economic impact in the short term. In contrast, the agricultural sector offered clearer, more immediate links between business decisions and essential needs like food security. She began researching graduate programs in agricultural economics that emphasized applied, real-world learning. That search led her to Texas A&M University.

Graduate Work and New Perspectives

At Texas A&M, Sohee joined the Master of Agribusiness program and began working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program, helping to grade Agribusiness projects. Although she did not have a background in agriculture, the sector offered clearer paths for evaluation and real-world application. Compared to her previous work in education technologies, agriculture felt more grounded in tangible outcomes.

One topic she has become particularly interested in is land use. South Korea’s limited farmland forces producers to maximize yields through short-term intensive methods, often at the expense of long-term soil health. Sohee noted that many in the United States rarely have to consider this kind of constraint, given the relative abundance of agricultural land. Understanding this contrast has helped shape her thinking about the importance of policy, sustainability, and long-term planning in food systems.

IFAMA Case Competition

In November 2024, Sohee participated in the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association’s Venture Building Challenge. Sponsored by Bayer Crop Science, the competition brought together 21 international teams to develop practical solutions for regenerative agriculture in India and Indonesia. The Texas A&M team included students from agribusiness, agricultural economics, and economics programs. The team was mentored by Dr. Shahriar Kibriya and sponsored by the MAB program.

Sohee served as the team captain. In the competition, teams had four hours to respond to a 12-page case study and build a solution with clear strategy, implementation, and financial plans. Texas A&M’s team earned Commended Status, placing in the top 3 to 5 teams globally. Sohee reflected on the experience, saying, “Our success came from the incredible teamwork, where each member brought their unique background to expand our perspective and develop a creative yet practical solution.”

The competition emphasized problem-solving, time management, and interdisciplinary collaboration. It also reinforced Sohee’s growing interest in using business tools to address practical challenges in agriculture.

Current Focus

Sohee is continuing her graduate studies and teaching assistant work at Texas A&M while exploring applied research in agricultural supply chains and sustainability, with plans to graduate in December 2025. Her background in international economics and venture capital informs her current interests, especially in how agribusiness can support long-term resource security. She is focused on learning how to build and evaluate agricultural ventures that are both economically sound and socially relevant, with the goal of applying those lessons in South Korea and beyond.